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Blue Bottle Coffee launches cold espresso made without machines. Kyoto-Style Espresso is made using a slow-drip method inspired by a process used in the Japanese city. Bret Thorn, Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News June 16, 2026 Blue Bottle Coffee is drawing inspiration from a cold-brewing technique from Kyoto, Japan, for a new line of cold espresso drinks that don't require a machine to make. Kyoto-Style Espresso, as Blue Bottle is calling it, is made using a slow-drip method similar to a Kyoto drip tower, a tall column in which ground coffee is placed and cold water is slowly poured through it. It's a different approach than cold brew, for which coarsely ground coffee is soaked in water for 12 hours or more. Kyoto towers are not generally used for espresso, which typically requires heat and high pressure, but Kevin Thaxton, Blue Bottle's director of global product development, and his team spent the past two-and-a-half years tweaking and refining the process to allow baristas at the San Francisco-based chain's 152 locations worldwide to make it in around 90 minutes per batch, which is then stored in bottles to be used over the course of a daypart. "We're always looking for the best version of our coffee, and when it comes to cold espresso, the question that comes up is: Is the espresso machine the best tool to make these drinks?" Thaxton said. "The answer was no." He said espresso is intended to be drunk hot and quickly, and when it's poured over ice or otherwise cools, it tends to become sharper and more bitter. He said iced espresso has long been an adaptation rather than a purpose-built process across the industry, a factor that has grown in importance as consumers shift from hot to cold drinks. Cold drinks now make up around half of all drinks ordered at Blue Bottle locations in the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore; that's actually low compared to some of its competitors, such as Starbucks, which reports that 75% of its beverages are cold. Beyond the flavor benefits of the new brew, batch production also improves operational efficiency, allowing baristas to prepare drinks more quickly and focus more on customer interaction and final drink presentation. Thaxton said it also paves the way for smaller-footprint coffeehouses specializing in cold drinks that wouldn't need space for espresso machines. The debut lineup, launching June 16, is: Cold-Shaken Espresso: Kyoto-Style Espresso shaken to create a smooth crema on top and served with a side of sparkling water Iced Caffè Latte: The new espresso with choice of cold milk, optionally sweetened with muscovado sugar Vanilla Bean Shakerato: The new espresso with vanilla bean simple syrup poured over cold milk and ice Espresso Tonic: The new espresso poured into tonic and sparkling water Iced Caffè Mocha: The new espresso mixed with chocolate ganache Sweet Blossom Latte: The new espresso with cold milk and elderflower syrup, garnished with orange zest Sweet Blossom Shakerato: The new espresso with elderflower syrup, shaken and garnished with orange zest Follow him on TikTok and Instagram: @foodwriterdiary Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News Senior Food & Beverage Editor Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. Hi is responsible for spotting and reporting on F&B trends across the country for both publications. He is the co-host of a podcast, Menu Talk with Pat and Bret, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities, and other experts in foodservice operations. From 2005 to 2008 he also wrote the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun, covering restaurant openings and chefs' career moves in New York City. He joined Nation's Restaurant News in 1999 after spending about five years in Thailand, where he wrote articles about business, banking and finance as well as restaurant reviews and food columns for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. He joined Restaurant Hospitality's staff in 2016 while retaining his position at NRN. A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., with a bachelor's degree in history, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also studied traditional French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He spent his junior year of college in China, studying Chinese language, history and culture for a semester each at Nanjing University and Beijing University. While in Beijing, he also worked for ABC News during the protests and ultimate crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989. Thorn's monthly column in Nation's Restaurant News won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best staff-written editorial or opinion column. He served as president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, or IFEC, in 2005. Thorn wrote the entry on comfort food in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, 2nd edition, published in 2012. He also wrote a history of plated desserts for the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, published in 2015. He was inducted into the Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014. A Colorado native originally from Denver, Thorn lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bret Thorn's areas of expertise include food and beverage trends in restaurants, French cuisine, the cuisines of Asia in general and Thailand in particular, restaurant operations and service trends. Bret Thorn's Experience: Nation's Restaurant News, food & beverage editor, 1999-Present New York Sun, columnist, 2005-2008 Asia Times, sub editor, 1995-1997 Manager magazine, senior editor and restaurant critic, 1992-1997 ABC News, runner, May-July, 1989 Education: Tufts University, BA in history, 1990 Peking University, studied Chinese language, spring, 1989 Nanjing University, studied Chinese language and culture, fall, 1988 Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine, Cértificat Elémentaire, 1986 Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters Content Spotlight

Nestlé is implementing job cuts affecting 16,000 positions across Europe as part of a restructuring plan targeting CHF 1 billion in annual savings by 2027. More than 1,400 roles have already been impacted. The company is finalising the sale of Blue Bottle Coffee whilst retaining rights to certain products, as it reshapes its brand portfolio to focus on core categories including coffee, pet care, nutrition and food snacks. The sale includes Blue Bottle's cafés and packaged products, but Nestlé will keep rights to Nespresso pods. The restructuring comes as Q1 2026 sales of CHF 21.3 billion fell short of the prior year's CHF 22.6 billion in Swiss franc terms. Management is pursuing efficiency and cost discipline whilst maintaining exposure to premium coffee trends through selective product rights.

China's coffee market is undergoing a strategic split, with leading brands moving in opposite directions. Luckin Coffee's controlling shareholder Centurium Capital is acquiring Blue Bottle Coffee's global retail stores from Nestlé for under $400 million, marking a push upmarket. The deal gives Centurium a premium positioning and international expansion platform. Meanwhile, Mixue Bingcheng is testing freshly ground coffee at select stores, installing fully automatic coffee machines priced at around $4,780 each. The move extends Mixue's reach deeper into the mass market through its 40,000-store network. The divergence reflects broader market polarisation. Whilst budget brands face profitability challenges despite rapid expansion, premium brands have attracted significant capital. Industry observers suggest China's coffee market is maturing beyond single-tier competition into distinct segments serving price-sensitive and quality-focused consumers.